Scotland’s traditional New Year celebration, including customs such as first-footing, is called Hogmanay.
Hogmanay refers to Scottish New Year celebrations, especially the evening of December 31 and the customs surrounding the arrival of the new year. Its best-known traditions include singing “Auld Lang Syne,” visiting friends and relatives, and first-footing—the belief that the first person to enter a home after midnight can influence the household’s luck.
A first-footer may traditionally bring gifts such as coal, shortbread, salt, or whisky. Dark-haired visitors were once considered especially lucky in some parts of Scotland, although customs differ by region and household.
Hogmanay is distinct from Burns Night, which commemorates poet Robert Burns on January 25, and St Andrew’s Day, Scotland’s national day on November 30. The word’s precise origin is disputed, with proposed links to French, Norse, Gaelic, and Scots terms. Its meaning as a Scottish New Year festival is clear even though its etymology is not.